Dictionary
et•y•mol•o•gy
Pronunciation: (et"u-mol'u-jē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -gies.
1. the derivation of a word.
2. an account of the history of a particular word or element of a word.
3. the study of historical linguistic change, esp. as manifested in individual words.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.